1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a contact block for a smart card reader. The contact block comprises a contacts carrier and contacts disposed therein. The contacts are formed having a first end for contacting corresponding conducting paths of a printed circuit associated with the contact block and second free end beyond the surface of the contacts carrier to face an associated smart card.
2. Description of Related Art
Contact blocks of the type with which the invention is concerned as well as associated smart card readers and smart cards are known from the prior art (DE 41 18 312 C2; DE 44 11 345 C1).
Smart card readers have the purpose of contacting the contacts of the electronic chip disposed on an associated card, in a certain (end) position of the card within the reader in order to enable a "reading" of information stored in the chip, and to enable as well an input of information to the smart card.
Smart card readers of the said type are employed in stationary chip-card telephones, mobile phones, automatic cash dispensers and the like, for example.
The electrical connection of the contacts of the chip to the contacts of the contact block is reported through an "end position switch", which, according to DE 38 10 275 A1, comprises two spring contacts, one of which is actuated by collision with an associated frame shortly after the smart card reaches the end position within the reader (reading position).
From EP 0 316 699 A1 a contact switch is known, forming a slide-in end contact. Normally, the contacts face each other at their contact ends, one contact arm engaging the other under bias. In inserting a card into the smart card reader the card is guided against the end position switch until the contact arms disengage from each other. At that moment, the card is in the end position and is activated.
In DE 44 11 345 C1 mentioned above, the contact switch is manufactured as follows the contact elements are formed first together (that is in one piece) of an electrically conductive material, and then brought into the desired coordination and afterwards positioned in a contacts holder before they are separated from each other materially and thus electrically. Originating from an initially one-piece contact switch, the switch contacts are separated only in the mounting position, out as a result, the contact switch is of two pieces again.
Because of the large scale manufacturing of the smart card readers employed today, there is a continuous need to simplify and thus to make the production of the reader and its components less expensive.